This week.....

We kept busy (again) this week.

On Monday night we went to Nana and Grandpa's house for dinner.  It was nice to eat there with Jeanne, Mark and Joey Lombardi.  It is always fun to catch up with them- especially on a school night!! :)

John had 2 ECFE classes!  He does one with mom on Tuesday mornings and one with dad on Wednesday nights.  I went with this week to the first Wednesday night class.  It was very fun to expose Ryan to a pre-school classroom!! haha  I think he was a bit overwhelmed.  BUT he rallied and was leading the circle time songs and parent discussion time!  I was glowing-proud of him!!  :)
My parents, Sara and Mike watched Stephen while we were gone.  Stephen loved all the one-on-one, or should I say, four-on-one attention he got!  It was the best to come home to a Johnson's lotion smelling little snugly boy.  Thanks Sara, Mike, Dad and Mom!

We continued our weekly routine of going to Nana's for lunch on Tuesday after ECFE- Pizza and grapes.  John loves exploring Nana and Grandpa's big backyard while I feed Stephen after ECFE and before we eat.  Tuesday's are the best- I get time one-on-one time with both of my boys!  Ahh bliss!

Both boys made fun glitter and finger paint pictures for their Auntie Lauren to hang in her Colorado dorm room! It was very fun for them to make her some pictures- I know they miss her dearly!  Along with Auntie Alana who is playing college hockey for St. Olaf, Uncle Mark who is studying abroad in Greece and Uncle Ryan and Auntie Jinette working in Sioux Falls!  We have so many of our close family so far away... We sure miss having them so close!! XO

John helped me make the laundry detergent I posted a recipe for earlier this week.  He laughed the whole time we were grating the bar of soap- it was silly to him.  He helped me stir the soap and bubbles as it cooked.  Little did he know that the stove wasn't on...  making the detergent took 3 times as long to make.  haha

We are getting ready for the season to change- kind of!  I am really not ready for the boots, hats, mittens, snow pants, jackets, and wet trails through my house from snow covered boots.  OK, I am really excited to get the boys playing outside!  I can't wait for their reactions to the cold, white snow.  I am just not ready for the extra laundry and wet, dirty floors.  

Popcorn and movie night for Ryan and I tonight.  Hanging Christmas lights and going to the Shout House for my birthday tomorrow.  A GrEaT WeEkEnD!! :D  We are loving life at the Patrick's!!!!!  <3

Do you really really think we will be getting 5+ inches of snow!?!?!?  I'm not so sure....

Stephen Joseph

OUR ALL AMERICAN (MOMMA'S) BOY!!

Stephen is a delight!!  We love having him around!  He keeps everyone smiling- :D

Stephen is hit or miss sleeping through the night.  Sometimes I will wake up and it will be 6:30am and I will be floored because he will still be sleeping!  Other nights, he is up every hour to eat.  hmm...Stephen, you have me stumped!  I seem to have the best luck when he is in his swing.  I use the Bundle-Me cover to keep him toasty warm. 
 

Stephen is really good at the 'hand-to-mouth' skill.  When we give him a toy to play with, it goes strait to the mouth.  He gets very excited to play and be played with- he LOVES when John brings him toys to play with.  They make perfect brothers!!  Stephen has a great belly laugh--  he keeps us laughing!  If you repeatedly say "PEEEK" he will just keep laughing. 

In the last day or two SJ has started to enjoy his 'tummy-time'.  He is getting stronger at holding his head up enough to play with a toy. Before he would get an arm stuck at his side and not be able to pull it back up to prop himself up.  He finds it fun to be able to look around- he is proud of himself! And, we are too!!!

Tonight, SJ was sitting in his Bumbo chair on the counter.  I put a bouquet of flowers in front of him to look at while I was making JR his dinner.  I went to bring JR his food at the table (gone...30 sec...maybe?) and when I got back to the kitchen SJ had eaten a flower!!  HAHA He had the whole bouquet tipped over and he ate the flower right off!  JR was appalled that he would eat the beautiful flower!  I guess he was trying to tell me he is hungry.  Needless to say, we fed him banana and rice cereal.  :D Yummy!

Stephen loves his bath time, he is a busy boy in the tub.  Lots of kicking and doesn't mind too much when he gets water in his face/eyes.  SJ was weighed at about 4.5 months he's a big guy- 17lbs 1oz!!  Happy and Healthy! His nick name is "Beef-Cake" -- Because he is beefy! hehe

I got the Orajel out tonight,.... teething already,.... yay! Stephen is a very vocal baby-  He will be talking in no time.  There is almost a constant chatter coming from him.  I just love baby stories!! ;D

SJ does a great job tagging along with his big brother John- I can't wait until they can really play together!!

More pictures to come.... :D

Laundry Detergent

I LOVE this recipe!   It is from the Duggar family on TLC.  It is very quick and easy to make!  I thought I would share it with you all!  (Melissa, this one is for you)

And, the best part is.... it is about 6 cents a load!!!!

Laundry Detergent

This laundry detergent saves a huge amount of money. We buy its three ingredients for less than five dollars, and the resulting concentrate lasts our large family two to three months! It's a watery gel that produces low suds inside the washer. The ingredients are usually available in the laundry-products aisle of the supermarket — or order online. (Check recipes on the Internet; there's also a dry version of this laundry soap that's good for top-loading machines.)

Ingredients:
1 Fels Naptha soap bar, grated
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
Instructions:
Grate the soap bar into a small saucepan. Cover with hot water. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continually, until the soap completely dissolves.
Put washing soda and borax in a 5-gallon bucket. Pour in the hot, melted soap mixture. Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water. Stir, cover securely, and let set overnight. The next morning, stir the mixture. Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a smaller laundry-detergent dispenser or container. Shake before using.
For top-loading machines: Use 1 cup of the soap mixture per load.
For front-loading machines: Use 1/2 cup per load.

I do not make this all at once! Because we don't have 19 kids
......yet!!  HAHA J/K ;D
Here is a smaller family version...
This is what I use:

1/4th bar of fels naptha,  
1/4th cup washing soda   
1/8th cup of the borax
for 4 full bottles of detergent.

http://tlc.discovery.com/tv/18-kids-and-counting/recipes/homemade-laundry-soap.html

Feeling Lucky

We had a great weekend with our family!

Friday night, Ryan was exhausted from a long week at work and SJ not sleeping at night.  I don't think Ryan got off the couch after he got home from work Friday night- I'm so thankful for the long hours he puts in at work and then the longer hours he puts in being a dad/husband at home. 
My parents stopped by after the kids were in bed with a book for John, Planes.  Boy, does he love Airplanes! John was very excited Saturday morning to wake up to a new book!  John and Ryan read the book at least 20 times before lunch on Saturday! :)  My dad helped us set up our thermostat.  It was set too high so we needed good ol' Grandpa to figure it all out, once and for all!  Thanks Dad!!

I got to go to a special friend of mine's baby shower on Saturday too.  Sarah and Doug Richter are welcoming their first baby in January.  We are ecstatic for them!  What wonderful parents they will be-  Sarah is my dear friend, Katherine Olson's sister. This baby will bring their family so much joy and peace-  XO to you, Doug and Sarah!
Ryan and I had Kristine and Owen over on Saturday night for dinner.  It was SO fun to have friends over at our house!!  We had dinner, (the boys had) a few brews, Peanut Butter Cup cheesecake, and played some cheesy games! :D  We love having friends over, that way the boys could go to sleep in their own beds and be tucked in by mom and dad. 

On Sunday, we had a delicious family breakfast and lunch.  We just relaxed and hung out playing trains and reading books in the morning.  After lunch, we took a family trip to Post Road.  You guessed it!  Airplanes!!  We wanted to take Ryan with so he could see how excited John gets. 

A special HaPpY BiRtHdAy to MaRk OtIs!!!!!! 
Our Godson is 5 years old today!!  WOW!  We are very excited to see him on Wednesday!  We love you Godson Mark!